Global chemicals company SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.), based in Saudi Arabia, has recently teamed up with Zuyderland Medical Center in the Netherlands to repurpose medical plastic scrap into innovative contact-sensitive packaging materials.

Source: RecyclingToday

In collaboration with converters Coveris and Ace Srl, along with brand owners Artivion and Mölnlycke Health Care, SABIC has successfully demonstrated the concept of recycling used medical plastic back into the medical material stream through two pilot projects.

According to SABIC, Zuyderland staff initiated a medical plastic collection program in June 2024 to tackle the “unmet needs and challenges” related to plastic scrap that would otherwise be incinerated. This program features an innovative collection system for non-contaminated plastic that has not been in contact with patients, blood, or bodily fluids. With the assistance of the specialized transport company L’Ortye, the plastic scrap was prepared and transported to SABIC for conversion into pyrolysis oil via chemical recycling processes.

SABIC then utilized this alternative feedstock to produce “virgin-like certified” circular polyethylene (PE) from its TruCircle portfolio. The new TruCircle PE has been incorporated into two new healthcare solutions:

• Coveris created packaging containing 25 percent recycled medical scrap for Artivion’s guide ware used in vascular surgery.
• Mölnlycke Health Care developed surgical drapes with 49 percent recycled content derived from hospital-generated plastic scrap, to be included in the ProcedurePak solution featuring a material component from ACE.

SABIC's collaboration is further supported by academic research from Maastricht University, which has recently received an Interreg EU grant for a three-year project aimed at promoting the “Circular Transformation of Health and Care Systems in the Meuse Rhine Region,” involving partners such as SABIC and Zuyderland.

ACE Business Development Director Christoph Lentz expresses pride in leading the transformation of medical laminates with their extrusion films, specifically designed for the lamination of disposable surgical drape materials.